Mahmoud Abas, Full-Stack Software Engineer & AI

Operating Systems 1 (2026-2027) - Linux: Ubuntu Installation and Basics

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Operating Systems 1, Lab 8

Linux: Ubuntu Installation and Basics

Build a virtual machine, install Ubuntu inside it, then explore it as a user.

Objectives

Tell the kernel, a distribution and a desktop environment apart
Size a VirtualBox VM: RAM, CPUs and a virtual disk
Install Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and the Guest Additions
Use the GNOME desktop: dock, Activities, search, workspaces, Settings
Translate Windows paths to Linux paths; show hidden files
Install and update software: native, Snap, AppImage

Part 1

Linux and Its Distributions

Why there are hundreds of Linux systems

Linux Is a Kernel

Linux is not a whole operating system: it is the kernel, the engine that talks to the hardware

Applications

the accessories

Desktop environment

the body and interior

Shell, commands, tools

the controls

Linux kernel

the engine

Distributions

A distribution = kernel + tools + desktop + applications, packaged to install

Ubuntu (today)
Debian
Fedora
Linux Mint
SUSE
Manjaro, Gentoo, elementary

LTS or the Latest Release?

	LTS (long-term support)	Latest release
Support	up to `10` years	`9` months
Typical use	stay about two years, until the next LTS	upgrade every `6` months
Strength	rock-solid stability	newest desktop and apps

Part 2

Virtual Machines

A computer made of software

Four Ways to Get Linux

Way	What happens to Windows
Clean install	removed; Linux takes the whole disk
Dual boot	both stay; choose one at every start-up
Microsoft Store	Linux inside Windows, command line only
Virtual machine	nothing changes: Linux runs like an app

What Is a Virtual Machine?

Virtual machine (VM): A complete computer made of software: virtual RAM, CPUs and disk, all borrowed from the real computer.

Host: the real computer the VM runs on

Guest: the operating system inside the VM

What the Host Needs

Requirement	Why
RAM `>= 4 GB`	host and guest share it; with less, the guest lags
Free disk `>= 12 GB`	for the virtual disk file
Internet	download VirtualBox and the ISO (or copy them over)
Virtualization in BIOS	without it the VM will not start

Three Sizing Rules

The sources say out of the red area; half is this lab's safe limit

Resource	Rule
RAM	as much as you can spare, out of the red area: at most half the host
CPUs	every core is taken from the host: at most half the host cores
Virtual disk	`10 GB` minimum, `15-20 GB` preferable, `30 GB` in the 24.04 video

Worked Example 1: RAM

The lab document's host has 8 GB of RAM. Predict: how much may the VM get?

R_v ≤ R_h2 = 82 = 4

Worked Example 2: CPUs

The video's host has 12 cores and gives the VM 5. Predict: inside the rule? And 8?

C_v ≤ C_h2 = 122 = 6

The Virtual Disk: VDI, Dynamic or Fixed

Allocation	Host space lost on day one	Later
Dynamically allocated (default)	a small file	grows as files are stored
Fixed size	the whole size, at once	never grows

Worked Example 3: 20 GB Disk

The host has 50 GB free; you create a 20 GB disk. Predict the free space right after, for each allocation.

F = F₀ - D = 50 - 20 = 30

Try It: The VirtualBox Wizard

Part 3

Installing Ubuntu

From an empty VM to the Ubuntu desktop

Create the VM

VirtualBox: New, give it a name, keep the default folder
Choose the ISO: VirtualBox detects Linux, Ubuntu (64-bit)
Username and password (twice); keep the host name
Base memory and processors: out of the red area
New VDI disk, 30 GB; Finish: the VM boots the ISO

Installer Choices

After language, accessibility, keyboard layout and a wired connection

Question	Choose	Why
Try or install	Install Ubuntu	Try = a live session, nothing installed
Installation type	Interactive	automated is for many machines from one config file
Applications	Default selection	basic utilities; extended adds more
Third-party software	checked	graphics, Wi-Fi hardware, media formats
How to install	Erase disk and install	see the next slide

Worked Example 4: Erase Disk?

The installer says Erase disk and install Ubuntu. Predict: does this erase Windows?

Finish the Installation

Your name, the computer name, username and a password you will remember
Your time zone
Install: about 10-15 minutes of copying and installing
Restart now; stuck on the last screen? close VirtualBox and start the VM
Log in: click your name, type the password

Guest Additions

Fix a small screen, add copy-paste and drag-and-drop with the host

Devices, Insert Guest Additions CD image: a disc icon appears
Before running it, open a Terminal: sudo apt-get install bzip2 tar
Run Software, enter your password, Authenticate, press Enter
Power off, start again
View, Full-screen Mode

The Command, Really Run

Simulated with -s (no password, changes nothing) on an Ubuntu 24.04 based machine

text

$ apt-get install -s bzip2 tar
NOTE: This is only a simulation!
      apt-get needs root privileges for real execution.
Reading package lists...
Building dependency tree...
Reading state information...
bzip2 is already the newest version (1.0.8-5.1ubuntu0.1).
tar is already the newest version (1.35+dfsg-3ubuntu0.4).
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 22 not upgraded.

Some unrelated lines left out

Troubleshooting: The VM Will Not Start

text

Not in a hypervisor partition (HVP=0) (VERR_NEM_NOT_AVAILABLE).
AMD-V is disabled in the BIOS (or by the host OS) (VERR_SVM_DISABLED).
Result Code:
E_FAIL (0x80004005)

Virtualization is blocked on the host
Restart; at power-up press F2, F10 or F12 to enter the BIOS
Find the virtualization option, enable it, save, restart

Part 4

Exploring Ubuntu

The GNOME desktop as a normal user

The Desktop Map

Area	What it does
Dock (left edge)	launch and switch apps; a dot shows a running app
Show Applications	the app grid, like the Start menu: All and Frequent
Activities (top left, Super key)	all windows spread out, search, workspaces
Clock (top middle)	calendar and notifications
System menu (top right)	volume, network, lock, settings, power off

The Dock and Favorites

Right-click an app, Add to Favorites, or drag it onto the dock
Right-click a dock icon, Remove from Favorites
Drag icons along the dock to reorder them
Right-click a running app: new window, switch between its windows, quit

The Activities Overview

Search: the fastest way to open anything

Press Super (the Windows key)
Type fire
Press Enter: Firefox opens

Workspaces

Separate desks on one screen

Keep work windows on one workspace, other windows on another
In the Activities overview, the workspace switcher opens a new, empty workspace
Drag a window from one workspace to another

The Settings Application

Search settings, or the gear in the system menu

Panel	Use it to
Appearance / Ubuntu Desktop	style, wallpaper; dock auto-hide, size, position
Notifications / Search	silence one app; choose where search looks
Privacy & Security / Power	automatic screen lock (Screen Lock); screen off, suspend
System, Users	Unlock, then add a user; the Administrator switch makes an administrator
System, About	Ubuntu version, memory, processor, disk; System Details: virtualization

Part 5

Files and the Folder Tree

Where is my C drive?

Windows Paths and Linux Paths

Windows	Linux
`C:\` top of the main drive	`/` (root) top of everything
`C:\Users` one folder per user	`/home` one folder per user
`C:\Users\student\Documents`	`/home/student/Documents`
`\` separates folders	`/` separates folders
a drive letter such as `E:`	a folder under `/media`

Folders Under the Root

Folder	Holds
`/home`	the users' personal folders; yours is your home folder
`/etc`	configuration files of programs and the system
`/media`	removable devices, such as a flash drive
`/mnt`	another place where drives are mounted

Worked Example 5: Translate a Path

User student, file C:\Users\student\Documents\report.odt. Predict the Ubuntu path.

text

C:\Users\student\Documents\report.odt     ->  /home/student/Documents/report.odt
C:\Users\student\Pictures\trip\beach.png  ->  /home/student/Pictures/trip/beach.png

Working in Files

Right-click: New Folder, Rename, cut, copy, open in a new tab, Properties
Properties: size, contents, free space and permissions
Search looks only in the current folder; its filter can search inside text files
Starred keeps marked files; Recent lists what you opened
Delete goes to the Trash: Restore brings it back, Undo fixes a slip

Worked Example 6: Hide a Folder

Create Hidden Folder, rename it to .Hidden Folder. Predict what happens.

Try It: Explore the Folder Tree

Part 6

Installing Software

Install, remove, update

App Center

Where	What you do there
Explore	featured apps and categories: productivity, development, games
Search results	Filter by: Snap packages (the default) or Debian packages
Manage	installed apps; Check for updates, Update all
Software Updater app	system updates: all of Ubuntu, not only the apps

Three Package Formats

Format	Comes from	Updates	Note
Native	Ubuntu repositories	critical fixes only	loads fastest
Snap	Snap Store	automatic, newest	has all dependencies inside; slower start
AppImage	developer's site, one file	download a newer file	runs on any distribution

Worked Example 7: Two GIMPs

App Center finds GIMP, but a classmate says there are two. Predict: where is the second, and how do you tell them apart?

App Center lists Snap packages first: that GIMP is the snap from the Snap Store
Filter by, Debian packages: GIMP again, the native one from the Ubuntu repositories
Installed both? About in each app shows its version (the snap is usually newer); the snap starts slower

Worked Example 8: The Silent AppImage

You double-click a downloaded AppImage and nothing happens. Predict why.

Right-click, Properties
Turn on Executable as Program
Close, open it again: no installation needed
Still nothing? It may need FUSE 2: sudo apt install libfuse2t64

Part 7

Practice

About 30 minutes: four on paper, then tasks in your own VM

About 8 minutes

Practice 1: Size Three VMs

Host	RAM	Cores	Free disk
A	8 GB	4	40 GB
B	16 GB	12	100 GB
C	4 GB	2	10 GB

Practice 1: Answer

Host	Max RAM	Max CPUs	Runs a VM?
A	4 GB	2	yes
B	8 GB	6	yes
C	2 GB	1	no: `10 GB` free is below `12 GB`

About 6 minutes

Practice 2 and 3: Paths and Dots

C:\Users\student\Downloads
C:\Users\student\Pictures\trip\beach.png
C:\
a flash drive E:
the system's configuration files

Documents
.mozilla
notes.txt
.Hidden Folder
my.photos
.config

Practice 2 and 3: Answer

/home/student/Downloads
/home/student/Pictures/trip/beach.png
/
a folder under /media
/etc

About 6 minutes

Practice 4: Diagnose It

The VM will not start: VERR_SVM_DISABLED
Ubuntu stays in a small window; full screen does not help
You want an app that updates itself to the newest version
App Center says your apps are up to date; a classmate sees system updates
"Erase disk" in VirtualBox: will Windows be lost?

Practice 4: Answer

Enable virtualization in the BIOS (F2, F10 or F12 at power-up)
Install the Guest Additions, restart, View, Full-screen Mode
A Snap from the Snap Store
Use the Software Updater app
No: only the virtual disk file is erased

About 10 minutes

Practice 5: In Your VM

Settings, System, About: do memory and processors match your wizard choices?
Add Terminal to the dock, then move the dock to the bottom
Create lab8, rename it .lab8, then find it with Show Hidden Files
Hover over Documents in Files and read its full path
Install an app from App Center, open it from search, then Uninstall it
Open a second workspace and move a window to it

Key Takeaways

Linux is a kernel; a distribution adds tools, a desktop and apps
A VM changes nothing on Windows: its disk is one file on the host
Size a VM at most half the host RAM and cores; dynamic disks grow, fixed ones reserve
In Linux, / is the top, homes live in /home, and a leading dot hides a file
Native, Snap, AppImage: check the source and version before installing

Open this lesson

Mahmoud AbasLinux: Ubuntu Installation and Basics

LTS (long-term support)

Latest release

Support

up to 10 years

9 months

Typical use

stay about two years, until the next LTS

upgrade every 6 months

Strength

rock-solid stability

newest desktop and apps

Way

What happens to Windows

Clean install

removed; Linux takes the whole disk

Dual boot

both stay; choose one at every start-up

Microsoft Store

Linux inside Windows, command line only

Virtual machine

nothing changes: Linux runs like an app

Requirement

Why

RAM >= 4 GB

host and guest share it; with less, the guest lags

Free disk >= 12 GB

for the virtual disk file

Internet

download VirtualBox and the ISO (or copy them over)

Virtualization in BIOS

without it the VM will not start

Resource

Rule

RAM

as much as you can spare, out of the red area: at most half the host

CPUs

every core is taken from the host: at most half the host cores

Virtual disk

10 GB minimum, 15-20 GB preferable, 30 GB in the 24.04 video

Allocation

Host space lost on day one

Later

Dynamically allocated (default)

a small file

grows as files are stored

Fixed size

the whole size, at once

never grows

Question

Choose

Why

Try or install

Install Ubuntu

Try = a live session, nothing installed

Installation type

Interactive

automated is for many machines from one config file

Applications

Default selection

basic utilities; extended adds more

Third-party software

checked

graphics, Wi-Fi hardware, media formats

How to install

Erase disk and install

see the next slide

$ apt-get install -s bzip2 tar NOTE: This is only a simulation! apt-get needs root privileges for real execution. Reading package lists... Building dependency tree... Reading state information... bzip2 is already the newest version (1.0.8-5.1ubuntu0.1). tar is already the newest version (1.35+dfsg-3ubuntu0.4). 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 22 not upgraded.

Area

What it does

Dock (left edge)

launch and switch apps; a dot shows a running app

Show Applications

the app grid, like the Start menu: All and Frequent

Activities (top left, Super key)

all windows spread out, search, workspaces

Clock (top middle)

calendar and notifications

System menu (top right)

volume, network, lock, settings, power off

Panel

Use it to

Appearance / Ubuntu Desktop

style, wallpaper; dock auto-hide, size, position

Notifications / Search

silence one app; choose where search looks

Privacy & Security / Power

automatic screen lock (Screen Lock); screen off, suspend

System, Users

Unlock, then add a user; the Administrator switch makes an administrator

System, About

Ubuntu version, memory, processor, disk; System Details: virtualization

Windows

Linux

C:\ top of the main drive

/ (root) top of everything

C:\Users one folder per user

/home one folder per user

C:\Users\student\Documents

/home/student/Documents

\ separates folders

/ separates folders

a drive letter such as E:

a folder under /media

Folder

Holds

/home

the users' personal folders; yours is your home folder

/etc

configuration files of programs and the system

/media

removable devices, such as a flash drive

/mnt

another place where drives are mounted

Where

What you do there

Explore

featured apps and categories: productivity, development, games

Search results

Filter by: Snap packages (the default) or Debian packages

Manage

installed apps; Check for updates, Update all

Software Updater app

system updates: all of Ubuntu, not only the apps

Format

Comes from

Updates

Note

Native

Ubuntu repositories

critical fixes only

loads fastest

Snap

Snap Store

automatic, newest

has all dependencies inside; slower start

AppImage

developer's site, one file

download a newer file

runs on any distribution

Host

RAM

Cores

Free disk

8 GB

40 GB

16 GB

100 GB

4 GB

10 GB

Host

Max RAM

Max CPUs

Runs a VM?

4 GB

yes

8 GB

yes

2 GB

no: 10 GB free is below 12 GB